Spanish voters punish Aznar for following US into Iraq

SPAIN'S ruling Popular Party last night conceded victory to the Socialits in the general election overshadowed by the Madrid train bombing and a reputed al-Qaeda claim that it staged the attack to punish the Government for backing the US-led war in Iraq.

SPAIN'S ruling Popular Party last night conceded victory to the Socialits in the general election overshadowed by the Madrid train bombing and a reputed al-Qaeda claim that it staged the attack to punish the Government for backing the US-led war in Iraq.

Many said Thursday's bombing - in which 200 people were killed and another 1,500 injured, and the Government's much-criticised handling of the initial investigation - were decisive factors.

"The Popular Party has made me lose faith in politics," said Juan Rigola, 23, a biologist in Barcelona. "It deserves to lose and to see the Spanish people turn against them."

Joaquin Leguina, a former president of Madrid's regional government, said, "Spain has never voted in such a tragic situation. There's a feeling of anguish, sadness, horror."

Two hours before polls were due to close, 63% of registered voters had cast ballots, a 7.5% increase over four years ago.

The electorate of 34.5 million included about 1.9 million mostly young voters added to the rolls since the 2000 general election.

Until the bombing, the conservative Popular Party was projected by most polls to beat the Socialists, although perhaps without retaining their majority in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.

But the disaster, which the Government initially blamed on the Basque separatist group Eta, followed by emotional rallies by millions across the country, and yesterday's high turnout, diminished the polls' usefulness.

Critics accused the Government, which had trumpeted its crackdown on Eta, of manipulating the investigation for political gain. That struck a chord with voters.

"I didn't intend to vote, but changed my mind," said Javi Martin, 30, who works for a TV station in Madrid. "And not because of the attacks, but because of the responsibility of the Popular Party. They gave out information drop by drop. It would have benefited them if it were Eta."

Some voters were angry at outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, pictured left, accusing him of making Spain a target for Islamic extremists because of his support for the Iraq war, despite the opposition of most Spaniards. Aznar sent 1,300 Spanish troops to Iraq after the conflict and 11 have died.

"I wasn't planning to vote, but I am here today because the Popular Party is responsible for murders here and in Iraq," said Ernesto Sanchez-Gey, 48, who voted in Barcelona.

Other voters expressed support for the ruling party precisely because it endorsed the Iraq war, and for its crackdown on ETA.

The political campaign was bitter between Mariano Rajoy, 48, a veteran Cabinet minister under Aznar, and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, 43, a lawyer, member of parliament and the Socialist party's general-secretary.

Before the attacks, polls gave Rajoy's party a 3-5 percentage point lead over the Socialists.